§ 9-1305 — Inspection fees; penalties

A. A city or town shall not charge a fee for nonpermit related initial exterior inspections, initial interior inspections that are requested by an owner of record or a lawful tenant, for initial interior inspections pursuant to issuance of a warrant, initial annual inspection pursuant to a residential rental inspection program or for an initial follow-up inspection where all building code violations identified to the property owner with a written notice or citation have been corrected.

B. A city or town may charge a reasonable fee:

1. For each subsequent follow-up interior or exterior inspection to ensure compliance with a citation or notice issued for violations of the building code that materially affect the health and safety of residents.

2. If an owner fails to correct a violation for which a notice or citation has been issued and the owner has been given adequate time to correct the violation. For the purposes of this paragraph, adequate time shall be no less than fifteen calendar days. For the purpose of this section, a reasonable fee may include the costs incurred by the city or town for all related inspections prior to the failure of the owner to correct identified violations.

C. Notwithstanding subsection B, a violation of the building code that immediately threatens the health and safety of occupants shall be cited and repaired immediately.